Mr Edwards said that he was inspired to make the donation due to his strong and long connection to the Drill Hall Gallery and ANU.

"The Drill Hall Gallery is open to the general public and that was a really important factor for me, but also I want the collection to be a resource for students who may be doing research into related topics,” he said.

“By giving this gift to ANU and the Drill Hall Gallery, I'm really giving this gift to Canberra."

ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian Schmidt, said the University was thrilled to receive such a significant gift.

"This is an inspirational act of philanthropy on the part of Craig Edwards, and we are delighted that he has chosen ANU to be the custodians of this extraordinary collection," he said.